I am conforMEd
by NINJASareBAE
Summary: The disease is spreading, and it's spreading quickly. With Sonic missing, Eggman locked away, and Tails unable to even determine what kind of substance is pumping through her veins; Amy is forced to resort to the last person she thought she would ever come to rely on. With Eggman at her right and Shadow at her left, the unlikely trio begin their pursuit of an unknown foe.
1. Chapter 1

123 days, 17 hours, and 54 minutes. With a spoonful of ice cream, and the static screech of the TV in the background, it was as it always was when he left. The sore piercing pain beneath my eyes as the world seemed to haze into a day less arrangement of black against the silent walls.

123 days, 17 hours, and 56 minutes.

Another slip of the spoon in the inside barrier of my mouth, and the slippery cold ice cream is crammed down my throat. The taste almost completely vanished into nothing more than useless calories. Sixth gallons of ice cream, going on seven.

123 days, 18 hours.

Still nothing more than empty silence, except for the threatening voices in my head. Bright illustrious words written in Sonic blue are streaked across the ceiling: calm, sweet, still, quiet, nice, and patient. Maybe he will like me if I change? Maybe he will finally notice me. He cared about me, he had to. He wouldn't ever come back if he didn't. Maybe he wouldn't come back. With grey walls, burning coffee, broken glass in almost every corner, and the lack of friendship; it seemed he would never come back.

123 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes.

"Amy?" Cream whispers as she props open the front door. Tails at her said and Cheese at her shoulder, the three wait for a reply as I press myself further back into my chair. Taking in the sweet toxic fumes of car exhaust leaking in through my window.

"He's going to come back." Tails said lightly.

"123 days, 18 hours, and 13 minutes." I mumbled as my head leaned forward and rested on the colorless table before me. My house only seemed to lack in color when he wasn't around. The florescent pink walls, yellow couch, and blue table set; seemed nearly grey to match the dark rings beneath my eyes. When had I last slept? The hours seemed to blur together. Patience had never been one of my most redeeming features, and maybe that's why he left.

"You're just hurting yourself." Cream moaned as she carefully grabbed my arm and began to drag me out the door. A baggy black hoodie was tossed in my direction as Tails loudly noted the cold weather just beyond my window. As I was forced to change into some clean pair of pants rather than the ghastly pair of pajamas I had been wearing for days, I could only imagine Sonic's reaction to the cold. I had always loved winter the most, because it was at this time of year when I was able to bundle close to Sonic in attempt to warm him up. His cool fresh fur against my skin as he trembled at the touch, and seemed to wish nothing more than to escape, but he never did. Well, at least until four months ago.

"You need fresh air." Cream chipped in as she began to drag me towards the door with Tails following briskly behind me. Cheese happily sang along as we made our descent down the creaking staircase and towards the door.

"Amy, look." Tails said as he gently tilted my head back so that I no longer stared blankly at the dirty pavement beneath my feet, but rather at the dancing pieces of snow that streaked across the sky. "It's finally snowing. You love this time of year! Cheer up! Sonic will come back."

But what if he doesn't? The image is still plastered into my mind of his back turning, for the last time. His words, as they lingered in the air, still pierced my soul. "Sorry, Amy." He said as his back was to me. "Don't wait for me."

Like that, he disappeared, just like the snow as it floated down to the sidewalk. Knuckles, as usual, was only to be found at his shrine. Tails had used the free time to go and research and develop equipment that he had probably told me what it was and what it did, but I honestly couldn't remember any of it. Cream and her mother probably just laughed their lives away with talk of sweets, friends, and how happy and content they were with everything. In the end, it was only me who worried. Sonic had apparently said different things to each one of us as he left saying: 'stay strong, I have to talk to you about something when I get back', 'keep working, I'll be back before you know it', and 'it smells great, can you make me a batch when I get back?'. It was only to me that his voice hinted the long and painful wait.

"The conformist treatment is going well." Tails hinted as I stared numbly into the sky. It was a change of subject, but every topic referred back to him.

"It looks like he is finally starting to crack." Cream giggled as though something in what she said held humor in it, but Tails and I only blankly watched her for the reason she never gave.

"It doesn't matter anyway." I said with a sigh as my breath seemed to take shape and color in the irritable cold air. Nothing mattered in the end.

Tails and Cream continued to dig out excuses of good news, but my mind glazed over the frosty surface of our surroundings. With a sky above us of grey air, and white covered buildings, it seemed as though my world was forced into darkness. No color seemed to register, except for a slimmer of gold in the distance. I automatically began to walk in the direction of the glimmer and slid my hand below the surface of the snow to grab the object, but paused. The cold didn't seem to register in my mind as it seemed that I wasn't even reaching out to touch something. Brushing the snow away I found it to be nothing more than a chaos emerald, something I never thought I would see again.

Of all the things, it was a chaos emerald. An accident that would have come in use months ago, but it no longer mattered. There no longer was a threat for world domination. There no longer was a need for Sonic to transform, and there was no need to collect them before they disbanded. The numb feeling in my hands seemed to be alive as my hands held the emerald. The gem always had seemed so alive, but this had honestly been the first time I had held one in my hand. I quietly pulled my glove off and let the gem come in contact with my skin as the warm and energetic sensation seemed to be breathing through my veins and skin, the closer to the gem the more violent the sensation. There had been so many secrets held within the simple gem, and it almost intrigued me to figure out what made a chaos emerald what it was, but my mind was too blank to think too seriously on the subject.

"Where did you get that?" Tails gasped as he stopped in his place and both he and Cream took in the sight of the emerald within my hand.

"It was just sitting on the ground." I laughed in the most fake way possible as I slid on my glove and held the gem carefully between my fingers. "Finding these things was always so hard, but here it is. Just lying in the snow, near my house, as though-"  
>"That's a fake." Tails said as he swung around to survey the area. Cream seemed to understand what was wrong and instantly got into position to defend herself. "When Sonic left and Eggman was locked away, the rest of us set out to find them."<br>The bushes seemed to come alive as familiar robots seemed to slither out of nowhere and whip out their pathetic guns. Dropping the emerald I backed into the open area that Tails and Cream had their backs to, and prepared for an attack.

"So you're saying that you have them?" I asked quietly as I looked quickly at Tails before returning my eyes back to the approaching robots. They weren't a threat, not in the slightest, and they never had been.

"Under the strictest security I have ever made." He said proudly. "The government would be jealous of the security I was able to muster. Before Sonic left, he tested the equipment and was not able to get through even once without setting off the alarms. If someone would have broken in, then I would know about it."

The ground beneath us rumbled, throwing all three of us off guard as the rumbling sensation grew stronger just beneath our feet. The ground broke and we were all thrown in separate directions as things of black blurred around us. Thrown through the air, I came down hard against my wrist as I tried to block my face from impact as I was thrown wildly in every which direction. My shoulder was the next thing that came in contact with the ground, followed by my higher back and head as I summersaulted backwardly across the snow. There was only a black blur coming straight for me as everything went black.

It was the tainted smell of chemicals that helped me gain consciousness. Every part of me was restrained back in a chair surrounded by medical equipment everywhere. It was like being in the dentist office of hell. I tried to pull my wrists out from the secluded metal holding me back, but I couldn't seem to budge. My head was dizzy beyond anything I had ever experienced, and the world seemed to constraint and bend against nature as I could hardly make sense of what was in front of me with its fraying edges.

"Comfy enough?" A chorus of voice asked from above as the clinking and clanking of metal above me made me twitch. Whoever they were, they were sitting on top of the large machine surrounding me like a suffocating throne of metal.

"What do you want with me?" I hissed as I tried to yank my hands free, but the pain in my wrist seemed to scream back with anger as it became apparent that I had landed worse than I thought. "Where is Tails, Cream, and Cheese?"

"Don't worry about them." The chorus of voices said lightly from above as they seemed to all shift their weight at one time. "You are the only one I need."

"Come and fight me." I screamed angrily. If Sonic was here, he would rescue me, but he wasn't coming back.

"I'm not stupid like your other enemy, or should I say former enemy." They continued, ignoring me. "I'm willing to plan, wait, and be patient to get what I want. There is just something I wanted you to witness."

Dizzy, sick, and cold; I waited. The clicking sounds of metal all around me caught my attention as I tried to see what it was that was rising from the doughnut in the ground. Was that a doughnut? My mouth watered at the thought as I watched the doughnut morph and change with my delirium. Momentary weakness in balance, I saw some metal machine complete its ascent through the hole in the ground.

"Now, don't flex your muscles, it will hurt less that way." They laughed as a felt a searing pain in my arm as the machine jolted forward. The syringe inserted a serious amount of liquid into my arm before quickly withdrawing and retreating to the floor below.

"Now, it begins." They said triumphantly as I felt a horridly sickening sensation burning in my upper arm, making me tremble violently as it slithered through my veins. The metal around my wrists, ankles, legs, arms, head, and just about everywhere else, loosened and I felt thrown out of the chair and to the ground.

I squirmed on the ground in pain as something coursed through me with burning strength. Screaming; I began to dig my nails into the flesh where the sensation seemed the strongest, at my heart and where the needle had gone in. Voices laughed all around as I continued to scream in pain.

123 days, probably, and he's still nowhere to be found; and for the first time, he was too slow to save me.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**Thanks for making it to chapter two of my fan fiction! I'm kind of new at this sort of thing, so any advice is welcomed and appreciated! I hope everyone had a ****_fab_****-ulous Thanksgiving! ~NINJASareBAE**

Ash tossed and turned in the summer air as the heat rose from the ground beneath me. I watched the thin pieces of paper as they danced beautifully in the air. Heat burned my skin as each small piece of ash brushed against my skin, the edges still bright and vibrant from heat. As the haze behind my eyes continued to clear and my thoughts became more pronounced, I noticed that it wasn't ash, but snow. I was buried beneath a layer of snow, but not dangerous enough to kill me.

A chill slid up my back as I attempted to sit up, finding that my higher back and wrist still hurt from behind thrown. Trees were all I could see for miles. Miles and miles of endless trees, with dark roaring clouds overhead. The sweet smell of pine drifted through my nose as I began to journey to find my way back home.

I didn't know the date or the time, so I couldn't say how long it had been since Sonic had disappeared. My heart sank as I remembered the horrid chair, holding me back as the burning fluid ran through me. What hurt the most was knowing that in situations like that, I never had to fear if Sonic would come to my aid. I never had to worry about if I would be ok, because I knew that he was coming. I knew that he would never leave me behind, and for him to not be there; hurt. It hurt because I was afraid of what might actually happen to me.

The snow was getting thicker the further I walked. My eyes only raised from their low state when I noticed footprints gathered around the roots of the trees, and only the roots. Each tree, had a carving. Thousands of trees marked thousands of different carvings. Some strange loops and simple lines, while others had pictures of what appeared to be chaos emeralds, drowning in paint. It was as though they had just grabbed a full container of paint and thrown it at the tree in the form of a water balloon. Paint dripped down the bark and tainted the fresh snow below.

Soon the carvings were replaced with the letters: E, M, and A. The letters were small and barley scratched into the trees. They were all separated, but it was only those three letters. It didn't take long for the A to disappear and only the letters: M, and E were found. They were now placed together on every tree in bold large letters that seemed to almost devour the tree, and every single tree had it. Like eyes that watched Snow White through the forest, the letters seemed to watch me.

"Amy!" A familiar voice screamed as I turned. Tails trudged through the snow with Cream not far behind, and a confused Cheese at her side.

"We have been looking all over for you!" Cream said as she threw her arms around me in a violent hug that threw us both off our feet and into the pile of snow below.

"I don't think they were thieves." Tails began his analysis as both Cream and I got to our feet. He gently rubbed the fur beneath his chin in deep concentration. "It just doesn't make any sense. Why would they would ambush us and then strand us out in the snow in the middle of nowhere?"

"Huh?" I said blankly as Cream shivered.

"I didn't have anything on me that they would want to take." Tails continued as he rummaged through a small backpack I hadn't even noticed he had brought. "Nothing of mine is missing. Cream says she didn't have anything that they would want to steal. Do you have anything?"  
>"No." I said eyeing the arm the syringe had pricked. Was it just my imagination? That burning of my flesh and trembles were all just some horrible dream I just happened to remember? I cautiously rolled up my sleeve, feeling the same surge of energy I had felt when I had touched the chaos emerald. It was like a second heartbeat, just beneath the skin on my arm. As I exposed the wound, it was clear that something was wrong. Instead of my beautiful pink skin, it was scaling red and black streaks with hints of blue, purple, and green towards the middle. Where the needle had entered seemed to be a black dent, and the strange design seemed to fade its potency near my elbow and my shoulder, although some of the longer strands of the streaks seemed to extend.<p>

"What is that?" Cream asked in her sweet but concerned tone as she reached out to touch it.

"Some people put something in me." I answered as Tails stopped his monologue to investigate. He eyed the curious streaks, reaching out, but not touching them. His hand glided over the air just above the demented flesh, threatening just to graze over the surface, but it never did.

"I've never seen anything like it." He whispered in awe as his breath as caught in the air in a puff of white and grey.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked as he gave me an accusing look.

"I just told you I have never seen anything like this." He stated blatantly. "Besides, I'm a mechanic, not a doctor."

"Ah." I gasped as another beat of the skin and a pulse of pain pierced through. Like a wave, the pain was carried through every inch of my arm, slowly fading as it spread from the center.

"I don't like the way it looks." He said as he pulled my sleeve back down, hiding the wound from sight. "We need to get you out of here as quickly as possible."  
>"Did you see the trees?" I asked quietly as I noticed the lack of writing to be seen. It had seemed that every tree had had it, but now there was nothing. Not a single dent in any of the trees around us. Just like everything else, it disappeared.<p>

"What's wrong with them?" They asked as the paused to look at them, scanning for some irregularity that they should take note of.

"N-nevermind." I said, forcing a foreign grin on my face. When was the last time I had smiled? I couldn't even remember now.

"Come on." Tails ordered as he began to walk through the snow. Both he and Cream could easily fly over the soaking snow that seeped through our shoes and drenched our socks, but they seemed to choose not to. Even Cheese clipped himself to Cream's shoulder, eyeing me occasionally as I fell behind the group, to make sure I was still there and still alive. Minutes turned into hours as the dark threatening sky only seemed to get darker as late day turned into night.

"I wonder how long we have been gone." Cream asked, her optimism slipping through the cracks. "Do you think anyone is looking for us?"  
>"Probably not." Tails admitted with a bitter cough that seemed to shake his small body violently. "Knuckles is busy with the master emerald, I don't even know what Rouge is doing, and Sonic…-"<br>"Is never coming back." I finished as both he and Cream turned to give me a disheartened stare of disapproval. "Don't look at me like that."  
>"It's not true, Amy." Cream said with a smile as she rested her hand on my shoulder. "He'll come back. I'm sure of it."<p>

This wasn't the first time I hadn't seen Sonic in a while. He had gone off on his own for periods much longer than this, but it was his word choice that told me that he wouldn't be coming back. In all of those times, I had been the one that patiently waited. While everyone else doubted his return, I waited in assurance that he would never leave us behind, because he couldn't.

It was cold. It was so very cold. The weather was decent, but my chest and heart was cold. It was already too late when the first tear streaked down my cheek. The merciless flow of tears streaked down my face as it crunched into a pathetic state, and I felt truly alone. Cream quietly rubbed my back with a slim smile on her face repeating over and over: 'it's ok', and 'he'll come back for us, Amy'. Tails simply looked to the skies, talking to himself in hushed whispers of how to find our way home. He only looked back once or twice, but seemed embarrassed of being caught in the act of staring at my gnarly face and looked away.

Even with them being so close, I felt so alone, and so scared. He wasn't coming back.

The walk home was painful. By the time we reached the edge of the forest, it was the middle of the night, and we were on the other side of the city. Our feet were soaked through and we were chilled to the bone. A young man, by the name of Chris, noted our horrid state, and offered us a ride. We were silent in the back of his car, enjoying the rush of heat now brushing against our exposed feet as Cream cuddled up against me.

"Where you guys coming from?" He asked as he turned to look at us in the backseat. "You look dreadful."  
>"We were stranded in the forest." Tails said boldly as I opened my mouth to vent.<p>

"Stranded?" Chris asked as he seemed surprised. "Did your buddy, or buddies, leave you behind?"  
>"We were meeting up with someone." Tails lied as he looked to me for confirmation as Cream shuttered. I nodded quietly and then returned back to wrapping Cream in my arms and waiting for us to finally get home. "They offered us a ride, and we accepted. They then took off when we reached our destination."<br>"I wonder why." He said stunned as he tried to wrap his mind around why someone would do that. It wasn't technically a lie. We had been stranded in the forest, it was just the fact that we were intentionally meeting up with someone that was twisted.

Chris was able to find our surrounding homes, and dropped us off. We thanked him before he sped off into the night. With heavy hearts, we said our goodbyes and promised to meet in the morning. As we separated, I found the placed had been ambushed, and looked away. The door handle felt warm against my skin as I stood under my porch light. When I attempted to turn the knob I found that the door was already slightly open. Sliding inside, I quickly closed the door behind me and turned on the lights.

Everything was thrown and ripped apart, but some of it I hadn't done myself. Every complete piece in my house that remained, had been torn, ripped, smashed, and crumbled. It was like walking into a horror film, knowing that maybe that bad guy was still lurking somewhere in the shadows. I ran down the hallways, checking for valuables and things of worth, and found them all destroyed rather than stolen. When I finally got to my room I screamed in horror as I crashed to the floor. My bed spread hand the word: 'ME' scribbled in black spray paint. Every wall had thousands of 'ME''s written in bold, black spray paint.

It was only on the floor that it was different. Instead, it had 'A' added to the front.

My feet fell from under me, and I crashed to the floor. Holding my head I shook my head. Mumbling over and over to myself that it was all a dream, and the throbbing and quick beating pulse in my arm was only an imagination. A cold splash of liquid caught me off guard as I felt it against my nose. Looking up to the ceiling I noted one bit of writing I hadn't exactly noticed: Eggman.

Maybe the conformist treatment wasn't going as well as Tails and Cream had thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**1. I am really sorry about the late update, with finals coming up I'm kind of swamped! I promise to do better!**

**2. I didn't realize this series was so dark until Ghostkid33 and ABCSonicKirbyWarriors pointed it out. I apologize if that isn't what you like, but there's a bit more of that in this chapter. Please comment if I should keep this dark theme or try to make it a bit happier. Thanks! ~NINJASareBAE**

"I've never seen anything like this." The doctor mused as his fingers gently grazed over the surface of my skin, just above the wound. His hand shot back as a vibration echoed through my arm.

"What do you think it is?" I asked patiently as the doctor continued to stare in awe at the wound.

"If I had to guess, I would say it is a strange virus that is controlling your tissues." He assumed as he stepped away and pulled out his i-pad and tapped violently against the screen. "You say you are beginning to lose all feeling in that arm, am I right?"

"Yes." I said with an awkward nod.

"There is an ant called, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis." He said as he turned the i-pad around so that I could see the ant. With a large mushroom poking out from its head, I looked at the ant, trying to figure out exactly what he was trying to say. "This ant, some people call it the zombie ant. The fungus on top of its head first invades its body and begins to take over everything. Soon the ant is unable to control it and the other ants recognize the symptoms. They drag the dying ant away as it goes insane from the deadly fungus spreading through its veins, and leave it there to die. The ant dies when the fungus finally takes control of its brain and the fungus pops out of its head, as a little mushroom. The fungus spores spread out, but if there are no ants around to take control, then the disease dies."

"You think I'm a mind-controlled zombie…. Ant?" I asked trying to not picture myself with that mushroom poking out of my head.

"In a sense." He said with a beaming smile.

"How did the doctors go?" Cream asked sweetly as she eyed the black scars.

"Don't even ask." I said with a heavy sigh as her shoulders seemed to wilt with disappear. "Hey, come on! Cheer up! It's probably nothing! I just have to go and make one my errand and then I will go straight to your house, kay?"  
>"Ok!" Cream said in delight as Cheese laughed. The young girl skipped down the sidewalk joyfully as I watched the two of them go. I of course, had not mentioned the vandalism to either her or Tails. I had spent many hours the few nights before, scrubbing away and cleaning everything. New furniture was brought to replace the old, and the house almost seemed light again. I merely told Cream and Tails I was redecorating, and that they could see the finish product later, when I actually had something established.<p>

My boots crushed the gravel beneath them as the silent roads seemed to keep me company. Glass panes reflected my pitiful state. The blackness under my eyes never seemed nearly as potent, and with the black scars now covering almost all of my arm, I looked beyond dead. The first day, the scars stretched quickly across my arm, but for the past few days, the progression seemed to slow down. A few scars were added every hour, and there were signs on my shoulder and my hands, but that was about it.

The metal building was heavily guarded by security as they watched me. As I got close, they disbanded to allow me entrance. Many guards, one metallic building fit to destroy, one prisoner. The metal corridors seemed to echo my every step as I approached the heart of the machine. With buttons within every few inches, the g.u.n. could easily notify each other if the target escaped.

"Come on," a man urged as his voice could be heard through the building, but more especially if you were as close as I was. With only a few feet between us, I stopped to listen. "Choose wisely."

Eggman's tired eyes scanned the options before him. On his right was a machine part while on the left was food and beside the food was a doll of Sonic. To each item was attached a circuit which was attached to Eggman himself. I had somewhat heard Tails when he explained this part in the process of changing Eggman. Apparently they had placed a shock where the robot piece was, and if Eggman tried to take the robot, it would shock him, if he took the food, a pump of a special chemical would go to his brain giving him a sensation that he needed the food, and he needed the doll. Although I could only cringe when I saw the Sonic doll, I couldn't understand why it was there. Were they trying to have Eggman choose Sonic over robots or something?

Eggman's trembling hand reached out to the robot part as his moustache twitched slightly. He eyed the Sonic doll and then the food beside it before quickly grabbing the bottle of water beside the food and chugging it down. The officer seemed pleased with this response and turned away from him to find me standing in the door way.

"Amy!" The officer gasped as Eggman's never flinched away from the food. "I did not see you there."  
>"Can I talk to him alone?" I asked as I stepped into the brightly lit room. Every wrinkle and loss of color on Eggman's face was visible. He looked the same as his grandfather when he was about to be killed when the Space colony ARK was crashing towards Earth. His age seemed more defined as the old evil man sat lonely in the back of the room, with lasers pointed directly at his chair from above and bars all around him. The only reason he was alive was because the army had decided to not kill him, but rather see if they could change him. A process that seemed to be destroying the man, and it was hard to watch, even with it being Eggman.<p>

The officer slid out of the room with the promise to allow us some alone time. The room was silent as I took a seat in front of his cage like cell and watched the starving man eat. It was obvious he had lost a lot of weight, probably from choosing the wrong option. Tails had explained that it was a cognitive approach to the situation. Later, Eggman would relate Sonic to food. That he needed Sonic, which was beyond creepy, but he would also relate robotics to that painful surge of energy that electrocuted him.

"I need to ask you a couple of things." I said as I leaned forward in my seat and watched the man. He twitched at my voice and carefully looked up. He looked so tired, and in so much pain. I couldn't believe that I felt bad for him. After all he had done to us, and yet I was feeling bad for him.

"Amy Rose." He sniffled as he used his worn glove to rub the bottom of his nose. "Long time no see."  
>"Does this look familiar?" I asked pulling up my sleeve. It had started to become a habit to wear my jacket more often than not. The pink piece of clothing seemed to help me feel normal as it hid the horrid scaring.<p>

"You've been infected." He whispered with a hoarse laugh before being followed by brittle and life sucking coughs of desperation. He wailed and sucked as air couldn't seem to make its way into his airways. I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to get up and offer him assistance. This was probably a trick, and I was sick of his tricks. The man was able to control himself after a few moments of suffocating. He straightened himself in the back of his chair before sighing and leaning forward.

"Don't look so nervous." He whispered with a broken smile. "Your friends are fixing me."  
>"You look more dead than ever." I whispered as he trembled.<p>

"I feel broken." He whispered looking at his hands as though they held the key. I gritted my teeth ready to snap that he would have to do better than that to convince me he had changed. "Your scientist's machines are working. I never believed that these simpletons would ever be able to break a genius such as I, but I guess I was wrong."  
>"Like I will ever believe that." I hissed as a smile crept onto his face.<p>

"Want me to show you?" He offered gesturing towards the spreading black on my arm. "I know what that is. Let me show you."  
>"I'm not letting you out of here." I snapped scooting further away. "You have tricked Knuckles a thousand times, but you won't fool me."<br>"Trust must be gained, I guess." He said with a long sigh as he seemed to think of a way to be trusted. "Do you know where my lab is?"  
>"Your lab?" I asked shocked as he nodded.<p>

"I want you to look at some files." He said carefully as he looked to the ceiling and watched all of the lasers above his head. "They contain the information necessary to knowing what is on your arm. It is important that you get there as quickly as possible. If you trust me after reading those files, come back."  
>"How do I get inside your lab without being attacked by your goons?" I asked pulling out a piece of paper. This could easily be a trick, but it was worth a shot. Eggman looked too weak to really be lying.<p>

"They are not in operation. I have no one there that will hurt you, and if there is, take them down with your hammer like you always seem to do." He laughed as though remembering something in the far distant past. "The files are in the main room at the back of my fortress. The password to get into that room is 'Maria', and then the password to my computer is 'domination'. Once inside the computer open the folder that says 'ME'-"  
>"Me?" I asked remembering the trees and the vandalism.<p>

"Yes." He said. "You should be able to find everything you need within. Come back, if you trust me. I have some quarrel with them as well, I feel like I could be a good asset to your group."

"I don't trust you." I hissed slapping my notebook. "If you dare to think I will trust you after everything you've done, you're crazy."

I stormed for the doorway, ready to leave and never come back when I heard a low chuckle coming from him. I stopped to turn around and found him simply laughing to himself with a large grin spreading over his face.

"If you think you can take them down on your own, you are just as crazy as he was." He said proudly like he was holding the winning card.

"Who?" I asked only slightly interested.

"Sonic, of course." He grinned.

"Sonic?" I whispered as I was caught off guard. Sonic knew about them? "What do you mean?"

"Read the files." Was all he said before closing his eyes and after a few moments of silence, he was forced into deep slumber. Clenching my fist, I walked out of the room: disgusted, annoyed, and ready for revenge.


	4. Chapter 4

"This place as creepy as ever." I said dully as I scanned over the huge fortress overlooking the sea. I had infiltrated this place thousands of times, but had never had the time to look at the overwhelming fortress that now stood before me.  
>Within the steel doors, machines idly sat around. Like caught in the middle of a horror film, they seemed to silently watch, waiting. Broken parts and pieces thrown bluntly across the floor. Traces of Sonic seemed imminent everywhere, and I felt sick. Places where he stood, seemed almost perfectly noted in my brain. It was like watching his ghost as it roamed these halls.<p>

Definitely creepy.

A machine part crackled beneath my feet, and I was startled from the sound and forced back to reality. This was only Eggman's abandoned fortress. He was locked up far away, and there was no one left to operate the machines. They were like corpses spread throughout a building, waiting to become zombies.

It took some time to get to the back of the fortress. Through slim halls, broken entries, and shallow rooms, I had realized how deserted and lonely this place felt. The main room was as giant as one would suspect. The alluring red door stood out against the white walls that covered the entire fortress. It was beautiful carved with ornate dips and curves, but still held a feeling of time long past. The small computer monitor outside the door beeped wildly, as it hinted for the need of a code. I slid slid my fingers over the keyboard, pressing the letters gently against the touch screen and watched them appear on the screen. Once the word 'maria' had been put into the system, the giant red light disappeared and was followed by a bright green light with a loud buzz of in the background.

I pulled open the heavy door and slid inside the safe walls of the main room. Dust seemed collected everywhere as computers hummed and vibrated. Thousands of machines seemed crammed into one little working space with only a small gap between a few of the machines to indicate where to walk. Within the center of the machines, I found what I felt was the mother computer. Typing in the code I had received from Eggman, I watched as the computer greeted me with a sour tone followed by an Eggman smiley face before the computer logged me in. Thousands of files were shown across the desktop, hiding the background image from being seen at all.

I took me a minute to locate the bolded 'me' file, but I was able to find it. I clicked on the file and waited as several documents and pictures appeared. I clicked on the first picture and found it to be one of the trees from the forest. It had 'me' carved into it, just as I had seen. Each photo that followed was of a different location with the same carving pattern of strange designs and then the 'me'. I clicked on the first document and began to read:

'T_hey keep appearing. The 'ME' Symbol is everywhere now. It was at first only a package with a small note of the two letters, but now it is carved everywhere within my fortress. I can't seem to get away from it. That stupid hedgehog asked about it as he shut down my fortress. Taken away by the police, I refused to tell him._

_ 'That stupid hedgehog came to visit me again today. The doctors here are trying to change me, as if I will ever bend. He asked about the symbols again. I decided that instead of facing it, I would just have him stop them for me. I told him all I know. I told him about the civilization, about the strange reaction to the chaos emeralds, and the injection. I showed him the injection trace on my leg. It seems I don't have much time left. I can't move my leg at all, anymore. I have begun to grow tired and numb. I told him that the 'me' have made their move, and have begun their selecting process. He said he didn't believe me, and left.'_

_ 'It was only a few hours ago that Sonic returned. He began going off about something that happened. He was speaking rather quickly, so I couldn't fully understand what he was trying to tell me, but apparently he had seen them. They had showed their face to him, and he had lived. He began going off about the chemical injection in my leg. He showed me a piece of paper where it had familiar names and unfamiliar names written across it. He said it was a list of people who were candidates. I just remember seeing my name and seeing that irritation pink hedgehog: Amy's, name. He continued to say he had to stop it before something worse happened. There was a strange reaction going around his arm. It was like seeing flashes of light glowing off from around his arm. I tried to ask him what it was, but he never gave me a chance to say anything. He quickly left, just as he always does._

_ 'Sonic has disappeared. I overheard it from one of the guards after that infuriating little fox and bunny left. They talked about how Amy had shut herself off from the rest of the world to mourn over his disappearance. I know where he is, and I know who has him. It is infuriating to think that this stupid project of the government is actually working.'_

_ 'The 'me' know I am here. They want me to be here. Everything and anything that happens, they know before anyone else. They play a role in people's fates without anyone realizing it. Things that don't seem natural are probably due to them. They hid in our shadows and watch us, studying us. They know how we react, and they know what we will do in every possible situation. I was only caught and I am only changing because the 'me' have decided this is what will be. We can't fight the 'me'. They will destroy everything, and for the first time, I find myself hoping that Sonic will come back.'_

"From within the cell." I noted as that was the title of the document. The g.u.n must have allowed him to write this and send it to his computer for reference.

It was insightful, but still very vague. If I wanted to understand just what exactly he was talking about, I would have to ask him. I made sure to print off a few copies before leaving the room. The sound of my boots coming down against the hallway was the only sound for a very long time. When I was in the middle of the fortress, I decided to take a different route than the one I had taken before, because Sonic's ghost seemed to be haunting me. Loud beeping and humming of computers startled me as I was about to walk past a certain door.

There was another keyboard lock, but above it had the word 'project' scratched in the flesh of the wall. Out of curiosity, I typed the word into the system and was allowed access to the room. The automatic door screeched open and I was greeted by a simple walkway with thousands of capsules on both sides. Within each capsule held what appeared to be an android of Shadow, someone who I thought was long gone.

"He crashed to Earth." I whispered remembering being on top of the Space colony ARK. Although, he had been there when we fought metal Sonic on Eggman's air fleet.

The door slammed close behind me, and I screamed. Expecting to find some sort of 'me', I pulled out my piko hammer and waited to strike. Turning around anxiously throughout the room, I waited for someone to come, but no one ever did. The door did not open, though. As I tried to yank it open all I was given was a loud beeping noise. Was this a trick? All the lights switched off and the room became completely black, before a shuttering light not too far from where I stood flickered on.

"What are you doing here?" A dark voice asked as it was all too familiar.

"Eggman told me to come." I said swallowing anxiously, a nervous habit I had developed.

"Why would he send someone here?" the person asked in confusion. "You're lying."  
>"I'm not lying." I said calmly as I had to breathe deeply through my nose and out my mouth to keep from shaking. "He gave me the passwords. He is in the g.u.n. safety house, and he asked me to look at some of his files."<p>

"Who are you?" the person asked as they seemed to appear beside me, but were hidden by shadows that surrounded us.

"I'm Amy Rose." I said stepping forward and into the single light as it pierced my eyes. Squinting I tried to look around in the darkness for the person, but I could not find them. "I know who you are."

"How can you know me when I don't know you?" they asked as he finally stepped into the light.

"I know you, because you helped Sonic stop the ARK. You supposedly died, Shadow."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

**_Hey Everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I am really sorry for the late update. I tried to make it up by making this one longer, but I think it is the same length as the other chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter though! ;) ~NINJASareBAE_**

The 'me' only have a say in what happens, I thought as Eggman's words seemed to echo through my mind. The walk back to the city wasn't fun, and as Shadow slid through the forest in silence, I felt almost alone. If I hadn't known Shadow well enough to know that he would follow me, I would never have noticed him in the shadows. Just like his name, he was invisible in the light. An absence of light that your eye couldn't catch.

Sonic had found something, and the 'me' wanted to get rid of him. My lip trembled as I thought about how Eggman's notes referred to a list of names, and mine had been one of them. Sonic _knew_ they were coming for me, and he didn't save me. Eggman and I were both victims, with trailing black scars, and the pain was unbearable. The pounding sensation trailing up my arm as it reached the low part of my neck was unbearable. My heart seemed to beat to a different tune, and the sensation was sickening. I felt sick to my very core, and no one could save me.

Well, except for me. I could save me.

The prison hold seemed empty as Shadow and I slid into the fortress that held him. I never dreamed I would return back to talk to him. He almost seemed to know that I would be compelled to return, and ask my questions. I was disgusted with everything. How could I stoop so low as to try and ask Eggman for help? I wanted to believe he had changed, I really did, I just didn't know if my heart could allow it. There had been so many times that I watched Knuckles fall for Eggman's tricks, believing that Eggman had really changed, but was always disappointed when he was taken advantage of. I didn't want to be like Knuckles, and I didn't want to be played.

I nearly gasped when I found Shadow standing beside me, unaware of how shocked I was to find him there. His eyes scanned the prison hold as every detail seemed to be caught in his eyes. With a heavy sigh, I walked forward and deeper within the prison, with Shadow at my tail. The two of us walked in silence for what seemed to be a long time or eerie silence. I wanted to ask Shadow so many things, but my mind was still focused on the 'me'. What did that even mean? 'me'? Was that referencing to yourself or did it stand for something?

"And she returns." Eggman said proudly as he sat up. His single cell was absent of any guards. I stopped close to the back of the room giving both of us room as Shadow watched Eggman carefully. "And look who she has. I haven't seen you in a while, Shadow."  
>"Same with you, doctor." Shadow returned with a slight nod of his head. He; too, seemed to be weary of the lack of guards and lingered in the back with me.<p>

"What is with the hesitation?" Eggman asked in annoyance as he stood and inched towards the end of his cage. "I won't bite."

"Where are the guards?" I asked wearily, reminding myself not to be like Knuckles.

"Handling a bigger situation." He said with a laugh as he seemed to have guessed what I was thinking.

"You are supposed to have a lot of guards around you at all times," I snapped in anger "it was an order by the President. What else could-"  
>"the me." Eggman interrupted without the slightest hint of interest in what I was going to say. He watched as the words tried to sink in, but couldn't.<p>

"The me?" I asked again as he nodded.

"They are going on a rampage." Eggman offered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I heard them talking about it, they are breaking into every building in the city. They don't think they are trying to steal anything or trying to damage anything, they are just breaking in."  
>"Could it be for attention purposes?" Shadow offered, pretending to understand what we were talking about.<p>

"I fear so." Eggman said tiredly. "Did you read the notes?"  
>"I did." I said quietly with a reassuring nod.<p>

"I think they have already injected everyone on their list." He said stiffly, but proudly. "This is their way of getting the attention of those who they have deemed 'worthy'."

"So you and me?" I asked gesturing to his leg. "They want to get our attention so we start to realize who they are."

"Maybe more than that." He said with a disgusted snicker. "This I fear may be the beginning of the selection process. They want to find worthy candidates, for what I am not sure."

"Then we will do something they never thought we would do." I said as I whipped out my hammer and smashed it across the length of the lock on the cage. Alarms blasted through the silence of the place as Eggman watched in shock at what I just did. His eyes carefully watched the cage door as it slid away and he was free. I stood in the entree way, watching. He looked sickly skinny, and as I continued to watch, he looked frail. His body seemed to linger as he tried to force himself forward. I almost could believe that the treatment was working. He seemed unwilling to leave, like the prison held some sort of peace he couldn't attain anywhere else.

"I won't let you change back." I whispered as he eyed me. He sighed and slid through the door.

"What an awkward trio we make." He laughed to himself as Shadow stiffened under his words, and both of us noticed.

"If you help us, Shadow, I will tell you everything." Eggman promised with a determined and kind look in his eye. Shadow was apparently weary to trust Eggman, but with a slight nod he eyed the doorway.

"We are going to have to be quick." Shadow said over the blaring sirens.

"What is the plan?" Eggman asked as we made a bolt for the door. I couldn't help but pity Eggman as his baggy clothes crashed against him. He looked so weak and tired, he might pass out on us in the middle of the battlefield.

"Take down the me." I offered with a hesitant hint.

"We won't be able to do that." Shadow said bluntly and almost angrily.

"We can at least try." I recriminated. "Do you have a better idea?"  
>"We must find Sonic." Eggman said before Shadow could speak. We were about to run down a corridor when we heard the sound of shouting, and we ran down a different hall.<p>

"They are back!" I called back after the two of them as they lagged behind. Eggman was particularly slow, and Shadow seemed to understand what I was thinking. We ran ahead as soldiers appeared at the end of the hallway. In a crash of light Shadow was gone and my piko hammer was at my side. I charged at them, dodging their poorly aimed shots and began to swing at who every came within view. A laser beam grazed the edge of my arm as I was about to smash my foot into the soldiers face. Gasping I was thrown off of balance and slid back.

My hammer had been thrown for my hands and slid across the floor. Disappearing as it reached Eggman's feet. Shadow appeared right in front of me as a ray of a beam streaked across my face, and I realized I had been in a direct path of a shot. I gasped as my vision began to blur. With Shadow's arms around me, I realized he was using chaos control to pass in and out of view as he attacked solider and after solider. I eventually had to close my eyes because I was getting dizzy from the crazy reappearing and disappearing. I listened in silence as Shadow whispered 'Chaos Control' under his breath over and over again.

I hardly noticed the rush stopped and I was right side up once more. Opening my eyes I watched as Shadow watched me. He held me out at arm's length and just high enough that my tip toes brushed almost against the floor.

"You feel different." He said as Eggman stood beside us.

"There is no time for that." He snapped and rushed forward. Shadow dropped me to my feet and began to hurry after Eggman as I trembled slightly, trying to ignore the tingling sensation on my heart. Stopped boy hedgehogs and their ability to play with a maiden's heart!

"How is your arm?" Eggman called back as we cleared out of the building. I gasped when he took my wrist and began to lead me in the direction of what looked like a deserted building. Crashed glass scattered along the floor of the small pharmacy, which was ironically placed beside the prison. When I realized that it was a segment attached the building for the soldiers I felt a cold sensation burning away at the wound on my arm.

"I don't know this area." I admitted as Eggman continued to rug the liquid against my arm, calling back at Shadow to grab things in certain areas of the building. "I always left from the opposite side. I have never been in this part of the prison or on this side of town."  
>I hardly even knew what was around the prison. I never bothered to visit Eggman, and even when I rarely did, I never bothered to remember what was around me. The prison was the closest to his fortress and a bit away from my house. Eggman was gentle but quick as he bandaged my throbbing arm.<p>

"This way is just more convenient." He said. "My cell is basically in the very front of the prison. You are now witnessing the thicker parts of the prison. I heard that the me are attacking on the opposite side then you are used to. We just need to make it through the building and we will be face to face with the me. Do you think you can handle that? How does your arm feel? You look faint."  
>I felt faint too, but I would rather die than let him know that. I pulled my arm away and got to my feet. I noticed a stack of granola bars and tossed a couple to Eggman's shocked hands as he attempted to catch them.<p>

"We will head out the second you eat that." I said bluntly as I gestured to the granola bars now lying in his hands. He looked at me before tearing open one of the packages and began to feast. I watched the window of the shop, eyeing everything around us. The sky looked as menacing as clouds wrapped around in circles over the bottom half of the prison and over the city.

"You really have changed." Eggman whispered between bites. I looked back to watch him as he shoved another bite in his mouth. "It just proves what I have been thinking. I believe that the injection is meant to change your personality. Your scars and mine are two different types."

Shadow and I leaned closer as Eggman set down the granola bars and waited for us to sit beside him. He carefully rolled up his pant leg to expose his thin leg, and stretching black scars. Like mine, they spread like pieces of shattered glass, but instead of purple and green hints of color around the edges, it was white. The center was a mix of black and white as the white seemed to be trying to take over.

"Yours looks much darker and evil compared to mine." He said gesturing to my arm as his fingers gently brushed over the skin. "I think this is trying to change our personality."

"So you are saying I'm more dark and sinister than I used to be?" I asked feeling offended. I didn't feel any different, and I eyed Shadow who seemed to be entranced by Eggman's scars. He said he couldn't remember me, but said I had changed. How was that possible?

"No." Eggman said with a sigh as I maneuvered back over to the door and towards the window. "You have a darker side. Your sweetness is still there, but you also have a more pronounced dark side. I have always known you to be the sweet little girl, but you lately you seemed hurt and bitter. I think Sonic's disappearance was nothing more than to get you into a state where the injection could affect you the most. I'm not exactly sure, but I want to keep watching and observing-"

"No." I whispered in awe. It had not been Eggman's words because they seemed to fade away into the background. There was a figure that caught my attention. A single silhouette that appeared from the top of one of the buildings. A black mask stretched across their face and hid their eyes, and although dark scars stretched across their body on one half and white on the other, it was obvious who it was.

"Sonic." I whispered pressing my hand against the door as I wanted to run out and meet him. I wanted to hold him close and beg him to never leave me alone again. I wanted so much to plead with him to ask why he left, but there were more people beside him. They all seemed to be different in shape and form, but they all seemed to have the same streaking across their body. Sonic talked to the people beside him, gesturing out across the buildings, and then they disappeared down the side of the building in a race towards different sections.

"It is the me." Eggman whispered as he got to his feet, cramming the last bit of granola in his face. "It is just like I feared, they changed Sonic."

"What do you mean?" I gasped turning towards him. "Sonic would never become one of them."

"Sonic wouldn't." Eggman agreed. "Did you notice the scaring around his body? It matches ours. All of them have scaring that ran across their whole body. This is what I fear. I think the scaring changes you. It affects you somehow into turning in what they want you to be. Soon, both you and I will become a puppet like Sonic."  
>My eyes ran down to my arm as I watched the horrid scaring as it seemed to move and inch like a living monster, although it was still. The painful searing on my skin as it stretched onto my neck and covered my fingers hidden beneath my glove. I was running out of time it seemed, and Sonic was lost.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Do you know what's worth fighting for, when it's not worth dying for-" the pharmacy's intercom played out as the soft sound of nibbling was faintly present.

"Sonic." I whispered sliding through the pharmacy door and out into the open, constantly watching where Sonic had stood. Sonic was at least alive.

"What are you doing?" Shadow yelled angrily as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back towards the pharmacy. Within the walls of the small building held within the prison's open area, probably somewhere near the middle of the compact.

"I want to go after Sonic." I fought back as Shadow forced me to sit down near Eggman who continued to scarf down his last granola bar.

"I only understand a little bit of what is going on," Shadow admitted "but I understand that those guys are not our friends. They are probably here to find Eggman. I have a feeling that they broke into those buildings not to just break into them, but to find those who they have injected."  
>"Then what?" I whispered after a minute of silence as Shadow shook his head.<p>

"Either way." Eggman answered as he got to his feet. "We can't stay here and find out what they want with us. I am still weak from my conformity and Amy is hurt. For now, we need to find shelter and get to somewhere where they won't find us for a little while."

"What?" I yelled. "I thought we were going to fight back."  
>"We can't." Eggman recriminated. "You are hurt and I am still weak. I need my robots at least to fight back, and with your arm like that, you might not be able to do much. In the end, it might be Shadow facing them alone."<p>

"You act as if that would be a problem." I said bluntly as Shadow eyed me in annoyance. "What? I'm saying you could handle them on your own if you had to."

"Let's not test that." Eggman said annoyed as well. "For now, we need to find out where we are going to hide."

A piece of something was thrown quickly at a camera in the corner, and Shadow moved quickly to the view of the next camera within view and threw another thing at super speed at the machine, destroying it instantly.

"If you are going to talk about hiding places, do it in secret." Shadow said bluntly as Eggman and I turned to look at each other awkwardly.

"We can't go to my fortress." Eggman said quietly as he thought out loud. "We can't go to your house either Amy."

"We could go to Tails Workshop." I offered as Shadow shook his head.

"They would assume that." He said bluntly. "Think of somewhere where no one would ever know where to find you two."  
>"I think I have a place." I said after a minute of silence.<p>

"We are going to need to stop off at my fortress to grab everything we will need to survive there." Eggman said bluntly as we heard a crash coming from the main building.

"They are looking for us." Shadow whispered as he eyed the main building. "We need to get out of here."  
>"Alright." Eggman offered as he got to his feet, brushing off the dust covering his pants. "We need a plan. I assume there is someone watching for us to appear to inform the others as they look for us."<br>"I say we slip out the back." Shadow said peering out the window. "There is someone standing where Sonic disappeared. We are less likely to be caught if we go out through the back."  
>"The closest door is to the left of us." Eggman instructed. "We will sneak out through the back and make our way that way. Be quite and cautious."<p>

In silence we slid through the broken pharmacy, dodging piece of glass shards that threatened to penetrate our shoes. A wall of cool air hit me as I slid out the door and into the open, just behind Shadow who stiffened within a moment. He pushed me quietly behind him so that I stood behind his back as he stared up at the top of the pharmacy. Eggman laughed loudly as dark figures appeared on the roof of the prison hold. Only Sonic stood on the Pharmacy roof. His arms folded over his chest as his head was bowed down towards us. With a better look, I could see his mask looked like that of a knight's helmet (see Sonic and Black Knights: Shadow). His left arm seemed surrounded by lightning as flashes of light began to appear from it, while his right arm seemed to secrete a black mist that was subtle in comparison.

"It's me, Sonic!" I pleaded as the dark figure presumably watched us. "Please listen to me!"  
>"He can't hear you, Amy." Eggman repeated loudly as he watched our guests that seemed to inch closer to us. We were in the middle of a clearing surrounded by the prison, and they were coming from every direction. There was about thirty or so of them.<p>

"Sonic!" I screamed as Eggman tried to hold me back. "I know you can hear me! Please!"  
>Jumping from off the roof of the pharmacy, he landed dramatically into the dirt. He lifted his hand to my face, inching closer and closer as I watched him.<p>

"Join us, Amy." Sonic whispered as slowly moved his hand away from my face and extended his hand down to where mine was, like a peace offering.

"I don't want this Sonic," I whispered shaking my head "Neither do you."  
>I gasped when his hand crashed against my forehead and reeled it back slightly. The lightning streaking off from his arm began to rush forward and crash against my skin. The feeling was light, and very careful. I could feel it infiltrating my system, taking over my mind, slowly and numbly. At first, I resisted, thrashing violently as I tried to pry lose. I grabbed Sonic's hand, trying to pry it away from my forehead, but the lightning only seemed to infiltrate my hands as well. A few seconds of resistance dissolved as I grew incapable of anything. My hands slid away from his and dropped to my side. My eyes threatened to close themselves and my vision seemed to be overtaken by a golden scarring that slid across my eyes till I almost could no longer see.<p>

"Chaos Control!" was screamed into my ear as light finally began to break through at the last second. My limbs were given movement and I was pulled back violently. Sonic's outstretched hand quickly disappeared as he was replaced with an endless blue sky. Wind rushed around me as I heard the faint sound of yelling. The wind felt nice against my skin as the fleeting sense of someone's touch disappeared, and I just floated. The screaming, seemed so distant and far away, like a dream. I closed my eyes, feeling the air as it ran through my hair. My eyes opened, so that they could look at the sky once more. I was falling. Sensation rushed to my brain like adrenaline as something grabbed my wrist.

"Get ahold of yourself." Shadow called out to either Eggman or me, but his eyes were only on me. In one hand was Eggman, who screamed in horror of falling to the nearing ground below. Shadow's eyes were only on me, watching me for a sign of life. My mouth began to twitch, but that was all I was able to do. He pulled me closer and held us close as we hit the trees below.

Branches ran against my skin violently, tearing away at my flesh like it was nothing, as we smacked into more trees. When we finally reached the ground, we were lucky enough to land on a bush. Shadow's grip on my loosened instantly on impact and I bounced off to the side, and onto a separate bush, while Eggman wasn't nearly as lucky. He bounced off the bush and to the floor with a thud while Shadow just gasped from breath.

"Everyone alright?" Eggman asked out as Shadow reached up to his head as he sat up. He looked tired, but didn't say anything. His body was covered several cuts and wounds, probably from protecting us. I tried to open my mouth, but I couldn't. It was as though my mouth was glued shut and I only nodded.

"Amazing." Eggman offered as he rushed over to me, helping me to my feet.

"What happened to her, doc?" Shadow asked gesturing to me as though I wasn't able to hear them.

"I'm not sure." Eggman said bluntly. "I think he was trying to pass on what he had."  
>"Like a disease?" Shadow asked confused.<p>

"Not really." Eggman said with a heavy sigh. "More like telekinesis. I think the 'me' did that very same thing to all of those people. They infiltrated their mind using whatever that was, and made them do what they wanted them to do."  
>"Weak mortals." Shadow hissed under his breath in disgust, something I would have laughed about if I could feel my mouth.<p>

"I am going to find out where we are." Eggman said after a minute of silence. We watched him leave in silence.

"Amy, it is alright." Shadow whispered as he brushed away my tears with his thumb as he scooted closer. I at first flinched from his careful touch, but soon closed my eyes to keep from watching those piercing eyes as they checked for signs of pain. I hardly felt the tears streaking down my face until Shadow pointed them out, and the second he did, I broke down.

"I'm scared." I whispered as though my mouth was talking by itself. "I feel like I have been exposed to something dark and evil, and it makes me sick."

He only nodded his head and waited for me to calm down, brushing away the tears as he did so. It was quite a while before Eggman returned, and by then, I had already stopped crying and was looking at the clouds. Pointing out a passing cloud and telling Shadow what I thought it was as he looked at all the wounds covering us from head to toe.

"We are not too far from the fortress." Eggman said proudly as though it was his own intention that we ended up here. "Shadow, how did you do it?"  
>"What?" I asked confused.<p>

"He doesn't have a chaos emerald." Eggman said gesturing back to Shadow. "He usually is only able to chaos control at great distances like that when he has an emerald or two."  
>"It just, kind of happened." Shadow explained in his monotone voice as he looked at Eggman unflinchingly. A very Shadow like trait if you ask me. Eggman nodded before turning toward where he had appeared from. In a single movement, Shadow was to his feet and following behind him. It took me a little longer to get to my feet, but we were soon quietly walking through the forest in silence. Raising my hand to my forehead, I flinched at the thought of Sonic.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7- SONAMY

Chapter Seven – SONAMY

**_Hello! Thanks to everyone who has made it this far! A few people have made it known to me that they wish this to be a sonamy fanfic, and the more I watch Sonic Boom, so do I. This was oringially intended to be a shadamy, but it felt wrong to choose one or the other because I love both shipings! So I decided to do both! As the story progresses, I have decided that I will make a sonamy chapter and shadamy chapter if it calls for it. Expect to see more of these in the future! ~NINJASareBAE_**

A faint evening light stretched across the calm sky and the only sound heard was the faint chirping of birds in the distance as they began to go to bed. My back rested against the hard, and slightly damp, bark of a tree at the base of our hideout. Shadow had slipped out into the night to retrieve some parts for Eggman as he began to setup camp.

"How did you know about this place?" Eggman asked quietly as he attempted to set up a tent. It was a strange clearing in the forest where only a single tree was surrounded by emptiness. The other trees seemed to circle round that single tree at a large distance. The single tree was huge, and from the sky, there did not seem to be a clearing at all from the enormity of the tree. The tree itself was hollow at the base where it was big enough to fit several people and made for perfect shelter.

"I stumbled upon it a long time ago." I said as I nervously reached up to stroke the under-side of my chin. The disease had spread to my chin and halfway across my neck. My arm was nearly black at where the injection had occurred, and I hardly felt a sensation coming from it. When I moved my arm, it was as though I was moving it after it had fallen asleep for a few years, painfully numb. The tingling sensation just along my jawbone was painful and I unconsciously scratched at the skin, hoping to set the pain free.

"It was a cold day in summer." I reminisced as though I could see everything that transpired right before my eyes. "Sonic had just defeated you, and everyone had gone to celebrate. I had chased Sonic out into this forest, and as always, he teased me by running ahead. I was sure of my abilities to catch him, and I kept running. We were like that for quite a while, running carefree through these very woods. The sun began to set and the crickets began to sing their song. Rain fell from the heavens in a beautiful array of colors as it seemed to make everything hard to hear, still, I ran.

"The light began to fade from the trees, and you could hardly see what was in front of you." I recalled looking up at the breaking light as it streamed through the trees. "There was no moon that night, and no light broke through the branches, only darkness. I slowed down, to take a break, but Sonic never did. He must have assumed I was still following him, because he kept running. Soon, he was no longer in sight, and I was lost.

"I remember the cold rain against my skin as I tried to press against a tree so that it would stop touching me." I shivered at the thought. "I was cold, young, and alone in a place I didn't recognize. I have been in these woods for many years, but I never had seen this part of the forest. I kept walking, though. I decided I should at least try to find my way out. I know they tell people to stay put when they are lost, but it made more sense to me that I should keep walking and get out on my own rather than wait for someone to find me."

"And then you stumbled across this tree?" Eggman asked as he gestured towards it with his hand, as I shook my head in disagree.

"Someone found me." I whispered bundling closer into the blanket that had been resting at my feet. It had been one of the many things Shadow had brought back in his several trips to the fortress. I was partially glad he wasn't there to hear this. "A person in shadow, human. I had collapsed to the floor, caught up in my own despair. I had cried myself silly, and was starting to calm down when I saw their feet near my face. I glanced up, hoping to catch their face, but shadow concealed them. After a minute of silence, they began to walk away. I ran after them in desperation, hoping that they would show me a way out.

"We walked through the forest, peacefully. The creatures of the night that had seemed so intimately close and threatening, disappeared into the night, and the light of the moon broke through. The moon that had not been visible in the least, suddenly had a very small sliver of life and shown through vibrantly. We continued to walk till we got to this tree. The person always looked back at me, making sure I was there behind them. We reached the tree and they never said anything, they simply gestured for me to get inside the bark and hide. I seemed to understand them as they gestured out to the forest. They were going to go and find help while I waited in the bark for help to return.

"They disappeared into the night, and it wasn't twenty minutes later that Sonic appeared. I cried on his shoulder for a long time. At first he looked opposed to the idea, but he slowly got accustomed to the thought of me holding him. He rested his head against mine as I rested mine on his shoulder, quietly reminded me that I was safe. When the rain stopped and the sun began to rise, we left. My hand was in Sonic's as we left the forest. When we were out of the forest, everyone was there to welcome me back. I went straight home, and to bed, but not after watching Sonic walk away. I wanted to thank him and ask him who had told him about where I was, but I didn't. When I saw Sonic again, you had attacked once more, and I forgot all about it. I never had the chance to ask him who the stranger was."

"So this place is a little bit of a refuge for you." Eggman concluded with a nod as he started a small fire. The chilling winds were so slight that they hardly did anything to the flame, but it was enough to make my skin crawl.

"What do you think is going to happen to him?" I asked after a few minutes of silence as Eggman continued to poke the fire with a long stick. My question seemed to not surprise him as he pulled the stick out of the fire and quietly set it to the side of him in thought.

"Sonic is a fighter." He said carefully as he seemed to be walking on a thin line of telling the truth and telling a lie. "He'll snap out of it, and come running back to fight like he always does."

"I really hope you are right." I said sadly with a sigh as I thought about what it was that he might be doing at that very moment. Was he hunting us down still? Did the 'me' change his itinerary into something more evil? Was Tails and Cream safe from his grasp? I could only wonder as I snuggled up as close to the fire as I could get.

I fingered the wound running along my chin as Shadow approached camp with the remaining supplies Eggman requested. I twitched at the touch. It felt like breathing in exhaust. A slow and steady death, waiting for me to stop paying attention to it before it strikes and kills me. I a slow poison eating away at my heart, and I was running out of time. What happened when the blackness consumed me? Would I die? Would I become what Sonic was? The very thought was chilling, and I couldn't seem to get warm enough. Inching closer and closer to the fire, not noticing the flames that danced on my fingers.

"What are you doing?" Eggman screamed as he lashed out, grabbing me by my back and pulling me away from the flame. I only numbly watched as he swatted the flames off my gloves, as the dancing death burned through them and pierced my skin. The sensation was hardly felt and I couldn't help but staring at the wound, saying and doing nothing as it burned me. It had caught on my right glove, the glove that hid my scarring hand.

I felt, almost invincible as Eggman attended to my imaginary wound. I felt small tingling sensations, and maybe even a bit of pain, but hardly a thing to be noted. My fears worsened as I thought over that simple feeling. I couldn't feel it burning away at my skin. Did that mean Sonic couldn't feel anything? Did that mean we couldn't take down the me? Were we fighting back all in vain? It was just as Eggman said, the me know all.


	8. Chapter 7- SHADAMY

Chapter Seven – SHADAMY

**_Hello! Thanks to everyone who has made it this far! A few people have made it known to me that they wish this to be a sonamy fanfic, and the more I watch Sonic Boom, so do I. This was oringially intended to be a shadamy, but it felt wrong to choose one or the other because I love both shipings! So I decided to do both! As the story progresses, I have decided that I will make a sonamy chapter and shadamy chapter if it calls for it. Expect to see more of these in the future! ~NINJASareBAE_**

A faint evening light stretched across the calm sky and the only sound heard was the faint chirping of birds in the distance as they began to go to bed. My back rested against the hard, and slightly damp, bark of a tree at the base of our hideout. Eggman had slipped out into the night to retrieve some parts for whatever it was he needed it for, while Shadow began to setup camp.

"How did you know about this place?" Shadow asked quietly as he attempted to set up a tent. It was a strange clearing in the forest where only a single tree was surrounded by emptiness. The other trees seemed to circle round that single tree at a large distance. The single tree was huge, and from the sky, there did not seem to be a clearing at all from the enormity of the tree. The tree itself was hollow at the base where it was big enough to fit several people and made for perfect shelter.

"I stumbled upon it a long time ago." I said as I nervously reached up to stroke the under-side of my chin. The disease had spread to my chin and halfway across my neck. My arm was nearly black at where the injection had occurred, and I hardly felt a sensation coming from it. When I moved my arm, it was as though I was moving it after it had fallen asleep for a few years, painfully numb. The tingling sensation just along my jawbone was painful and I unconsciously scratched at the skin, hoping to set the pain free.

"It was a cold day in summer." I reminisced as though I could see everything that transpired right before my eyes. "Sonic had just defeated Eggman, and everyone had gone to celebrate. I had chased Sonic out into this forest, and as always, he teased me by running ahead. I was sure of my abilities to catch him, and I kept running. We were like that for quite a while, running carefree through these very woods. The sun began to set and the crickets began to sing their song. Rain fell from the heavens in a beautiful array of colors as it seemed to make everything hard to hear, still, I ran.

"The light began to fade from the trees, and you could hardly see what was in front of you." I recalled looking up at the breaking light as it streamed through the trees. "There was no moon that night, and no light broke through the branches, only darkness. I slowed down, to take a break, but Sonic never did. He must have assumed I was still following him, because he kept running. Soon, he was no longer in sight, and I was lost.

"I remember the cold rain against my skin as I tried to press against a tree so that it would stop touching me." I shivered at the thought. "I was cold, young, and alone in a place I didn't recognize. I have been in these woods for many years, but I never had seen this part of the forest. I kept walking, though. I decided I should at least try to find my way out. I know they tell people to stay put when they are lost, but it made more sense to me that I should keep walking and get out on my own rather than wait for someone to find me."

"And then you stumbled across this tree?" Shadow asked as he gestured towards it with his hand, as I shook my head in disagree.

"Someone found me." I whispered bundling closer into the blanket that had been resting at my feet. It had been one of the many things Eggman had brought back in his several trips to the fortress. I was partially glad he wasn't there to hear this. "A person in shadow, a hedgehog, like us. I had collapsed to the floor, caught up in my own despair. I had cried myself silly, and was starting to calm down when I saw their feet near my face. I glanced up, hoping to catch their face, but shadow concealed them. After a minute of silence, they began to walk away. I ran after them in desperation, hoping that they would show me a way out.

"We walked through the forest, peacefully. The creatures of the night that had seemed so intimately close and threatening, disappeared into the night, and the light of the moon broke through. The moon that had not been visible in the least, suddenly had a very small sliver of life and shown through vibrantly. We continued to walk till we got to this tree. The person always looked back at me, making sure I was there behind them. We reached the tree and they never said anything, they simply gestured for me to get inside the bark and hide. I seemed to understand them as they gestured out to the forest. They were going to go and find help while I waited in the bark for help to return. Their hands were warm and comforting as I begged and pleaded with them to stay behind.

"They disappeared into the night, and it wasn't twenty minutes later that Tails appeared. I cried on his shoulder for a long time. He just repeated over and over that everything would be right. When the rain stopped and the sun began to rise, we left. When I came back, everyone else was there, waiting for me. Sonic teased me about falling behind, and Tails offered me a ride home to where it was safe so that I could catch up on sleep. I couldn't help shaking the feeling of whom that person might have been. I also noticed that there was someone else. There had been someone else, lurking in the shadows, watching me. They stayed there, watching as the hedgehog left, and they followed."

"Do you still wonder who saved you that day?" Shadow asked quietly as he started a small fire. The chilling winds were so slight that they hardly did anything to the flame, but it was enough to make my skin crawl.

"I always wonder." I whispered. Closing my eyes to try and picture the silhouette that saved me that day. "At first I thought it might have been Sonic, teasing me as he always does, but they were different. The feeling of strength and safety was different. I felt as though I knew that person enough to trust them, and that I should not be afraid of anything because they were there by my side, but I felt cautious too. It was a feeling I wasn't used to."

"Maybe someday you will find out." Shadow offered with a snicker as he tossed a rock into the flame and we watched it crackle in silence.

"Was it you, Shadow?" I whispered turning to look at him. His eyes were focused solely on the fire, as though it held the key to life.

"If it was, I don't remember." He finally whispered into the night as minutes seemed to fly by in horrid, unending silence. "I was locked up within Eggman's fortress, I doubt it was me."  
>"You're probably right." I whispered. It had been before Shadow had ever appeared. Of course it couldn't have been him. Then who was it?<p>

"What are you two doing?" Eggman asked loudly as he slid into camp, is arms full of equipment.

"Let me give you a hand there, doc." Shadow offered as he got to his feet. Eggman and Shadow carefully unloaded all of the equipment as robots began constructing more robots in loud eruptions. I stared blankly into the fire, watching it bend and shake with each sound.

"Don't worry," Eggman offered kindly as he put his hand against my shoulder, misunderstanding my sadness "Sonic will be fine. He is a fighter if anything. He is probably fighting the 'me' all by himself by now."

"I really hope you are right." I said sadly with a sigh as I thought about what it was that he might be doing at that very moment. Was he hunting us down still? Did the 'me' change his itinerary into something more evil? Was Tails and Cream safe from his grasp? I could only wonder as I snuggled up as close to the fire as I could get.

I fingered the wound running along my chin as Shadow approached camp with the remaining supplies Eggman requested. I twitched at the touch. It felt like breathing in exhaust. A slow and steady death, waiting for me to stop paying attention to it before it strikes and kills me. I a slow poison eating away at my heart, and I was running out of time. What happened when the blackness consumed me? Would I die? Would I become what Sonic was? The very thought was chilling, and I couldn't seem to get warm enough. Inching closer and closer to the fire, not noticing the flames that danced on my fingers.

"What are you doing?" Shadow gasped as he lashed out, grabbing me by my back and pulling me away from the flame. I only numbly watched as he swatted the flames off my gloves, as the dancing death burned through them and pierced my skin. The sensation was hardly felt and I couldn't help but staring at the wound, saying and doing nothing as it burned me. It had caught on my right glove, the glove that hid my scarring hand.

I felt, almost invincible as Eggman attended to my imaginary wound. Shadow held me against his chest, watching carefully as I struggled to keep Eggman from taking my glove off. I felt small tingling sensations, and maybe even a bit of pain, but hardly a thing to be noted. My fears worsened as I thought over that simple feeling. I couldn't feel it burning away at my skin. Did that mean Sonic couldn't feel anything? Did that mean we couldn't take down the 'me'? Were we fighting back all in vain? It was just as Eggman said, the 'me' know all.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Where are we going?" I moaned tiredly as Eggman darted ahead of me. A grin was plastered to his face as he looked back at Shadow and I.

"From the equipment we gathered a couple days ago, I was able to build this." Eggman said loudly as he gestured to a small device with a needle pointing out as a small beeping echoed into the forest.

"That's great." I said sarcastically. It was our third day in the forest. Hardly was spoken between all of us as the hours ticked by and Eggman fused pieces together, yelling loudly when some advancement in the technology was apparent.

"It is what this device does that is amazing." He hinted, glancing over at us as he gently tapped the needle with his finger.

"What does it do, Doctor?" Shadow finally asked in a slow exhale and to Eggman's delight.

"It is a ME finder!" He said proudly as both Shadow and I seemed stumped.

"You have a device to tell who has been chosen by the ME?" I asked warily.

"No." He said giddily as he led us forward through the forest. For minutes he was silent, hushing us with a loud hiss every time someone tried to say something. The light from the sun was breaking through the trees, and lightly touched us with its warmth.

Except for the first time, the sunlight seemed to hurt. The warm sensation was replaced with a weird and cold sensation beneath the skin. It was as though ice cubes had been crammed beneath the surface of my skin, but it was only painful when the sunlight touched the skin. My lower lip trembled from the sensation along with the scarring. Half of my cheek was already covered along with the bottom of my ear lobe, part of my hair, corner of my mouth, and a slight bit of my chin. Unlike the rest of my skin, I could feel the scarring as it spread. Slow, numbness climbing across my face, hissing at the sunlight as it touched my skin. There was also a strange sense that something else was alive within me was what I noticed the most. Every time I looked in the mirror, I was looking at a stranger.

Eggman rushed into a clearing. Shadow was in front of me, and stopped so quickly I ran into his back. Holding my nose, I was about to yell at him for stopping when I noticed what made him stop. A large ancient looking building was hidden among the foliage. A pyramid of unusual design stood before us. It had two statues guarding the entrance like lions, except no description could possible describe them. The odd shape of their body as it seemed so much like chaos, but so different at the same time. The final form of Chaos seemed to be the closest resemblance I could make, but the beasts were smaller to be guard dogs. Long spikes slid out from one of the statues, with a hideous sneer. It had black powder covering its body except for its eyes which were the same color as the pyramid. The other statue had a more rigid look. The line of their cheek bones and bones within its body could be seen along with its prominent muscles. It looked as though they were ready to step off from their pedestals and attack us, but they never did. The second statue had its eyes colored with the same powder that covered the other's body.

"What is this place?" Shadow asked in almost a whisper as he gently touched the powder on the statue and pulled his hand back to look at the powder now tainting his glove.

"It is the ME temple." Eggman said bluntly which caught both Shadow and I off guard. "I stumbled across the place last night. I figured out what the ME want from us and why they are doing what they are doing. I used some of the scarring from my leg and used it to search for more."

He waddled within the open arch and into the building without the slightest hesitation. Shadow and I were not nearly as quick, but we were eager to get to the bottom of this. The light from the sun gently slid into the large main room as mural stretched across the walls. There was one of chaos, just like the ones Sonic found, but above Chaos were the two statues seen from outside with the chaos emeralds and the master emerald. The earth was surrounded by many different planets around them as the two creatures turned to look at each other. Below the monsters were a woman and a man. The woman wore all black as her hair defied gravity elegantly. Her dark skin seemed to crack from bright white scarring around her ear lobes and jaw bone. The man had pure white skin which matched his hair, and he too had scarring in the same location, but his scarring was black.

"Temple isn't the correct wording for this place," Eggman corrected as he gestured with his hand to what lay beneath the mural "I think tomb is better."  
>Two large coffins stood before us, almost reeking of life. It was as though an invisible mist was leaking out into the air.<p>

"What is this?" I asked generally as I gestured to the mural and tombs. "What does this have to do with the ME?"

"I introduce to you Meliavaious and Ezaiphiai." Eggman said as he gestured out to a series of squiggly lines written at the bottom of their graves, the same lines I had seen in the forest. "They are the creators of the chaos emeralds.

"I spent all last night reading their history and everything to do with them." He continued gesturing to the mural as he spoke. "Meliavaious was a strong man, in his language, his name means light. Legends say his mere presence brought life to everything around him. His desire to do good deeds was unquenchable. Ezaiphiai was a simple kind woman. Known for her beauty and loving nature, she was a simple woman living within the depths of Meliavaious's light kingdom.

"There was a man, who loved Ezaiphiai, his name was never written." Eggman continued gesturing to where chaos was. "He loved Ezaiphiai, and she thought she loved him, when she met Meliavaious. The man thought the two were in love and was consumed by hatred. He called upon the dark powers, offering two large emeralds in exchange to have Meliavaious die and for Ezaiphiai forget, but the darkness deemed the emeralds not enough payment. They sucked him in, leaving behind a simple form of his body.

"The second emerald shattered as sign of payment and the man disappeared. The monks of the temple found the emerald shatters and the full emerald, and found that they sang of life. They cut the pieces so that they each looked different, and dyed them in different colors, determining it was too dangerous to leave the emeralds together as remnants of the darkness was still on them. They separated the emerald shards, scattering them to different parts of the world while they left the still whole emerald within their temple. It was a sign of what can consume a person, and slowly the power of the emeralds changed from darkness to light due to the monks.

"Ezaiphiai was not spared from the promise the darkness made. Rather than destroy Meliavious, the darkness decided to let him live. Instead, Ezaiphiai was cursed. Black scarring spread across her body. Soon she was covered in the dark plague, and no one could stop it. The scarring soon reached her heart, trapping itself inside. In an act to save Ezaiphiai from not only destroying herself but everyone else, Meliavious pleaded with the monks to help him find a cure. They offered only one solution, that he was to consult the light. They warned him that in order for the light to do something, payment must be offered.

"He took Ezaiphiai to the temple and offered their mortality and bodies in order to contain the darkness. The light accepted and the two lives were shattered. Ezaiphiai was cursed to live immortality to fight against the darkness, but due to Meliavious's sacrifice, the darkness was contained to a tolerable level, one which she could contain. The two supposedly protect and guard the emerald shatters and the master emerald to this day.

"The man soon was given the name chaos as his mind slipped away. He became an instrument in the hands of darkness, hiding for hundreds of years in order to seek revenge on Ezaiphiai and Meliavious. The emerald shatters were named chaos emeralds, since they were the cause of chaos's madness." Eggman turned to look at the mural in silence as Shadow and I waited. "The ME are the decendents of those that believed in Meliavious and Ezaiphiai. The master emerald was named that because its initials matched the couple."  
>"What does the ME want?" Shadow asked quietly as he obviously seemed annoyed with the story.<p>

"It sounds like some mythical story that made people go insane to try and believe something." I added.

"It doesn't say what the ME plan on doing." Eggman answered. "We can only assume. The ME are trying to find a candidate, right?"  
>"Right." Shadow hinted when Eggman grew silent.<p>

"I think they are trying to sacrifice someone to wakening Meliavious and Ezaiphiai." He said gesturing to the tombs. "These tombs were made as a symbol of their sacrifice for mankind, but are also the presumed resting place of the two. Remember how hard it was to take down chaos? Just imagine how much harder it will be to take down two more of him that are already at full power."

"What are they going to do once they awake them?" I asked as Eggman turned to me with a sigh.

"I am not sure."


End file.
